Voters in Kent make their voices heard in primary election

CHESTERTOWN — Voters across Kent County made their way to the polls Tuesday to vote in the primary election. While no local offices appeared on the May ballot, many still voted to make sure their chosen candidate appeared in the general election.

Across the district, voters were anticipating who would secure the spots for U.S. Senator and Representative in Congress.

In Kent, nearly even numbers of registered Republicans and Democrats made their choice known. Keeping in line with voters across the state, Democrats and Republicans voted by the majority in favor of Joe Biden and Donald Trump respectively as candidate for president.

A much closer race — the Democratic choice for U.S. Senator — was too close to be determined in Kent after polls closed Tuesday evening. Without provisional ballots tallied, Angela Alsobrooks and David Trone had each garnered 722 votes.

Alsobrooks later won the Maryland Democratic Primary, announcing that the “fight ahead will not be easy.”

Former Governor Larry Hogan was the clear Republican favorite among Kent voters choice for Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, earning 66% of the vote.

Following the rest of the state, Democrats in Kent displayed their endorsement of Blane Miller for Representative in Congress, District 1. Republicans favored incumbent Andy Harris by nearly 80%.

Kent County has ten precincts. One at each of the smaller municipalities, Galena, Millington, Betterton, one at Rock Hall, one in Worton, two at the Chestertown firehouse, one at the Chestertown library, one at the Elks Lodge outside of Chestertown and one at Shrewsbury Church, Kennedyville.

According to election judges at each precinct, there were some changes this year. Same-day registration was a new thing. Only a few judges said they had to administer them.

After polls closed at 8 p.m. the elections officials brought their ballots to the election headquarters. After a flurry of activity, at 9:44 p.m., the unofficial results showed that early voting played an impactful role in this election.

For Trump, 19.1% were early voters.

For Biden, 30.57% were.

Alsobrooks and Trone, had 30% and 28.39%.

Republican candidate Larry Hogan reached 19.70% in early voting.

The printout also revealed how many people didn’t participate this time around.

Of the 11,036 total registered voters in the county, 3,199 ballots were cast, 1,539 Democrats and 1,660 Republicans, that’s almost 30% not casting ballots.

Does this mean that many Republicans and Democrats are content backing their party candidate whoever it is? Does it mean the rainy weather prevented some people from coming out?

Probably a little bit of both.